Woman killed in Monday crash was turning her life around

The funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. on Thursday at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church. A private burial will follow at a later date.

Victoria resident Diana Postel was looking forward to spending time with her friends and family this weekend.

Linda Villa, one of Postel's co-workers, said the mother of two had been planning a big joint birthday bash for her eldest son, who is turning 10, and her 7-year-old son.

"She talked about getting a snow cone machine, but she didn't want the kids to just have sweets. She wanted them to have healthy food too," said Villa. "Her outlook on everything was changing so much."

Postel, also known as "Mama D," never got to finish her party planning. Instead, her family had to switch gears and plan her funeral.

Postel was killed in a two-vehicle wreck on South Laurent Street on Monday morning.

"She was in good spirits when she went and for that, I am happy," said Michelle Dally, one of Postel's former co-workers at the Other Store No. 2 on Water Street.

Around 12:37 a.m. Monday, a white Dodge pickup and a white Buick Le Sabre, driven by Postel, were southbound on Laurent Street.

Officer Herschel Buck said Postel did not have the Buick's headlights on, causing the pickup to rear-end her car.

After the collision, both vehicles went off the road.

Before coming to rest, Postel's car struck a billboard pole near the intersection of South Laurent Street and Marshall Avenue.

She died at the scene.

Buck said Postel was not wearing her seatbelt, which her family said was out of character for the mother of two.

"We as a family are, collectively, deeply surprised. We found it to be unbelievable," said her aunt, Bridgette Postel Ramsey. "She had a saying, 'If you don't put on your seatbelt, you don't get paid.'"

When Postel's co-worker Leticia Robles stopped by their job Sunday night, she never thought it would be the last time to see her friend alive.

"I came by about 11:30 p.m. and she was fine. She looked a little tired, but that was understandable after working all day," said Robles. "She still had a smile on her face."

Robles said Postel would have left work around 12:15 a.m., but she had no idea where she could have been headed on Laurent Street since she lived the opposite direction.

"I am sure, having just gotten off of work, she was on a mission for a 'Scooby snack,' said Ramsey about Diana's frequent snacking.

Postel did not own a car and the Buick she was driving for less than a week belonged to an aunt, Robles said.

"She always walked and if she worked at night, one of us gave her a ride home," said Robles.

Friends and family say Postel was in the midst of turning over a new leaf in life, a process she began in 2008.

"She messed up in her life, but she was given the chance to do better. I hope she is remembered for the good things she did instead of the things she didn't mean to do," said Villa. "She kept her head up and did the best she could."

She would not elaborate on the specifics of Postel's troubles, which she referred to as "addictions."

"She had personal tragedies, but from what we saw of her at the end, she was working through those tragedies, some of which were self-imposed," said Ramsey.

Villa said Postel's children motivated her to change her ways.

"Her two boys were her world. She wanted to change her life for them," she said.

"If you were down, she was the type of person that would pick up you up. The big irony was that a big part of the struggle in her life was her inability to make herself happy," said Ramsey.

Ramsey said Postel credited her turnaround to a renewed relationship with God.

"She had an underlying faith that brought her to where she was today," she said. "In an effort to get her life back on track, she was taking Bible classes, parenting classes and doing everything else she needed to get right."

Postel often shared her testimony in an effort to help others through similar situations.

"She was very open with her story - her struggles and her triumphs," said Ramsey. "You can't stress enough her faith. She shared it with anyone who would stand still long enough to listen."

In the days leading up to her death, Postel was enjoying life.

Robles said Postel, who was the oldest of three sisters, had a sleepover with her nieces and nephews and even partied with a good friend, which she hardly ever did.

"It was just nice she got to spend her last couple of nights with them," said Robles.